Show Placings
Manchester Championship Show
15th Jan 2026
Judge: Dr Ian Gabriel (Gaybryl)
Many thanks for the lovely entry, both in terms of quality and quantity. I thoroughly enjoyed my day with the Border Terriers. When I last judged I felt there were too many with houndy large ears, this did not seem to be replicated in today’s entry which was pleasing and expression was generally much improved. What I did notice was that front action is something that we need to watch. Being Manchester and the last Championship show pre Crufts there were quite a few dogs who had been stripped in preparation and quite a few out of coat. In part that did play a part in some of my fineer placings.
Minor Puppy - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Sandyfaulds Finn Mccool
Placing Critique
Nice young male who impressed me for his overall balance and proportions. He has a pleasing head with a good breadth of skull and a good short strong muzzle. Neat, keen dark eye and pleasing small, well carried well shaped ear. He has enough neck into well placed shoulders. His front assembly is correct. He has a depth to his chest but is narrow through and well ribbed back. Nice racy hindquarters. He has a good coat which is harsh with a good undercoat. Good pelt. Very raw puppy and needs a lot of time. On the initial go around he side-winded a little bit but managed to collect himself and later in the class moved well with correct footfall and I was pleased to award him his class
Scottish Border Terrier Club Limit Show
25th Jan 2026
Judge: Nicola Howard (Tyneotter)
I would like to thank the club and committee for the invite to judge their show, this was my first judging appointment for several years so I particularly appreciated of my stewards, Katrina and Liz in keeping the ring running smoothly.
Thank you to all the exhibitors for making the journey and allowing me to go over their dogs. There was a lovely friendly atmosphere around the ringside.
On the day I thought the quality of the bitches surpassed the dogs overall. Movement seems to be an issue, particularly coming but I did find some lovely exhibits who covered the ground effortless.
Fitness and muscle tone was lacking in a few of the exhibits which I was surprised about and did factor into my decision making, they are ‘essentially a working terrier’ after all.
Coats were varied with a number in full coat, some in between and a few with little coats. Bites were good .I found one kinked tail.
Puppy - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Sandyfaulds Finn Mccool
Placing Critique
Another 6month old G&T who was taller framed, however he was narrow throughout making him easily spanned, with a good length in neck and level topline.
He had a super harsh, double coat with a lovely thick pelt and nice carrot tail which he held well on the move.
He had a pleasing expression, a slightly longer muzzle than the first with a little more stop but still has lots of time to develop.
He was a little unsettled on the move today and was ‘crabbing’ but there were flashes of a nice length of stride in profile when he got going.
The Border Terrier Club Open Show
21st Feb 2026
Judge: Mrs Laura Jordan-Smith (Jordith)
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Sandyfaulds Finn Mccool
Crufts
6th Mar 2026
Judge: Mrs Hilary Gilpin (Otterbobs)
Thank you to the Crufts committee for inviting me to judge and bringing my appointment forward one year. Many thanks to Pam Cox and Judy Carr for the professional stewarding they provided.
I enjoyed a full day’s judging and was very pleased to hear the applause from around the ring when dogs were placed, good sportsmanship.
Out of 264 entries, I had one wry mouth, one kinked tail, 6 very underweight dogs none of them placed. Dogs that had no coat were penalised as were very thin pelts. As a dog groomer of 48 years, I know when coats are chalked, not nice to feel. One exhibit while on the table had only one testicle the owner was gobsmacked but felt it and agreed there was only one, I was blamed for having cold hands!!! what after handling dogs in previous classes, ten minutes later the said dog came back for me to check again and yes there were two. I was disgusted to find an exhibit with sores on both cheeks; I was told what happened. And I’m leaving it there.
Teeth were very clean, only one tooth lost in an oldie.
I thought movement really should have been better than it was today, as I said thin pelts and no coats were penalised.
If I repeat myself with the first two placings that’s because they were what I was looking for.
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Sandyfaulds Finn Mccool
Placing Critique
Light red with no coat at all, decent length of body, straight front legs, slight tuck up, crabbing on the move.
The Border Terrier Club Championship Show
28th Mar 2026
Judge: Mrs Kathy Wilkinson (Otterkin)
I was honoured to be invited to judge our Club’s Championship Show, 30 years after I last judged here (at a different venue) in 1996. This is my 16th time awarding CCs in the UK. Thank you to the Committee for this invitation. Thank you also to my two excellent ring stewards Janice Johnson and Marina Fleming and to the Collecting Ring Stewards Judy Carr and Judith Fawcett, all four of whose efforts throughout the day kept everything running smoothly so we finished in good time. Many thanks to the exhibitors for bringing their dogs to show to me and for the friendly atmosphere I encountered throughout the day. Win or lose, you always take the best dog home, as they say.
I found the quality excellent throughout, with many classes where I was really spoilt for choice. All males were entire and most of the entry had good scissor bites, with only one or two in Veteran being not so “precise”, shall we say. Some of the dogs were a little difficult to span and so paid the price, but on a whole, most were spannable and had good rib shapes. The standard does not ask for a flat rib – I do love to see a good rib shape when viewed from above, with enough capacity for heart and lungs to do their jobs. It is important to the breed’s job of work that they are spannable and have ribs carried well back. Movement is also important as it plays a major part in making them fit for function. An otter-like head takes them apart from a generic terrier and makes them the breed we love to own.
When the line ups came into the ring, particularly my bitch line up, I was very pleased to see them all and happy that we have such good examples of the breed.
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Sandyfaulds Finn Mccool
Placing Critique
Loved this puppy; he was a bit short of coat today but he stood over the ground well, with a good length to his body and had a good layback of rib. Good head, with dark eye and ears dropping forward close to the cheek.
